Setting Windows File and Directory Timestamps to Now

Posted: Sunday, June 29, 2025 at 06:18 AM | Categories: Microsoft Windows, Delphi

When working on a book and sometimes while writing software applications, I like to set my project files (Word documents or other files) to the same timestamp. I'm not sure why I started doing this, but it allows me to set a sort of release grouping on the files based on timestamp.

For years I used a free Windows application called Attribute Changer for this. I don't remember how I found it, but it became a staple on my development systems over the years and I really relied upon it. The Windows Shell Extension allows you to change file attributes (like hidden or read-only) as well as the timestamps for Created, Modified, and Accessed. The application's grown over the years and added a bunch of very flexible configuration options, but as it did that, it became more complicated to use. In its current version, I can't simply invoke the shell extension like I always have and have it automatically do what I want. Its not that much harder to use than before, but it does more than I need it to do now and, like I said, the user experience is...cumbersome.

I always wanted to learn how to code a Windows shell extension, so I set about implementing my own version of the utility I needed. I started building something that handled file attributes along with file and directory timestamps, but then I realized that all I was doing was building a clone of Attribute Changer.

I finally settled on building a shell extension that simply changed one or more file and/or directory timestamps to the current date/time (timestamp). I call the application Timestamp Now.

The application's interface is very simple and its easy to use. In Windows File Explorer, simply select a set of files and/or directories, then right-click on one of the selected files and select Timestamp Now. The shell extension loads and displays the following interface.

From here, you can select which timestamps you want modified:

• Created
• Modified
• Accessed

Next, you select the format for the timestamp:

The options allow you to leave the timestamp alone (using the current date/time) or zero out the minor parts to make the changes look cleaner. When changing the timestamp for files, I generally zero out the seconds and milliseconds so the timestamp looks artificial, notifying me that I changed the timestamp.

The application's a free download from Fumbly Diddle Software. I hope this little utility helps you.

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